Adults of the blueberry maggot, Rhagoletis mendax Curran, were captured on Pherocon® AM traps and on 8.5 cm tartar red dark sticky spheres from early July to mid-August in lowbush blueberry fields. Spheres captured significantly more (P < 0.05) adults than Pherocon AM traps deployed vertically and at 45 °angles, but did not capture significantly more adults than Pherocon traps deployed above the plants. Immature females were captured more frequently on Pherocon traps whereas mature females and males were captured more frequently on spheres.

The use of either type of trap to monitor adult prevalence to determine the time and need for control treatments appears feasible, but will require further study to provide reliable indexes of adult populations for predicting the need for treatments.

A dose of 4 krad was the most appropriate for sterilizing pupae of Delia antiqua (Meigen) for field release: adult emergence was not reduced, emerging female flies were sterile, and the eggs produced by normal females which had mated with males irradiated as pupae had a lower hatch than those resulting from matings with normal males. Males irradiated as 6- to 8-day-old pupae were fully competitive under laboratory conditions. Continuous scrutiny of laboratory cultures to detect reduction in adult emergence or reduced competitiveness of males is stressed.

Spruce budworm larvae were subjected to bioassay with Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) to study the effects of exposure time and assay period on mortality, as well as on the possibility of recovery after a feeding-inhibitory dose. At all concentrations cumulative mortality increased until about day 10 of the assay. Extension of the exposure period from 1 day to continuous (equivalent to a 6 day exposure), resulted in a 500-fold reduction in LC50 (increase in potency) and an equivalent reduction in LT50. Some larvae recover if allowed to feed on diet without Bt even after exposure for 4 days to a very high concentration of Bt. The growth rate of recovered larvae is normal, but the time required for normal growth to resume varies with dose and exposure duration. Equations expressing the effect of exposure duration and dose on mortality and recovery period are presented. The implications of these findings for control of spruce budworm are discussed.

Diet incorporation assays detected no difference in susceptibility of instars IV, V, and VI of spruce budworm exposed to Bacillus thuringiensis, either in terms of dose, LC50, or time, LT50. The hypothesis that the dose–response for larvae of each instar fitted a common regression line was statistically acceptable. Differences in the pattern of changes in larval weight of instars IV, V, VI larvae in response to dose were not detected.

Small plots were sprayed with 5.5, 10.9, 21.9 BIU/ha at times corresponding to peak instar III, early IV, peak IV, peak V, and peak VI. Instar III larvae were controlled less effectively than were instar IV or V larvae which were controlled equally well. Instar VI larvae were also less effectively controlled than instar IV and V larvae probably because a significant proportion had reached the non-feeding prepupal stage before the full effect of B.t. was obtained.

Second-instar Heliothis zea (more than the 275th generation) larvae from a 16-year-old culture, were fed either green beans or artificial diet until they reached the pupal stage and then were compared to determine their relative fitness to the two diets. They proved at least as well adapted to beans as to artificial diet with regard to most parameters. Final larval weights were equal, as were pupal dry weights. Wet weights were higher in diet-fed than in bean-fed pupae. Dry food consumption was higher in diet-fed larvae than in bean-fed larvae, but the reverse was true of wet food consumption. Total food consumption by larvae was limited by food volume rather than weight or composition. The larval stage was shorter in diet-fed than in bean-fed larvae; and diet-fed larvae had better survival, higher body nitrogen, and body energy content. Oxygen consumption was lower in bean-fed than in diet-fed larvae. Efficiency of food utilization was higher for bean-fed than for diet-fed larvae both in terms of dry matter conversion and energy conversion. Nitrogen utilization efficiencies were the same for both diets.

Distributions of immature stages of the bronze birch borer, Agrilus anxius Gory (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), infesting young European white birch, Betula pendula Roth, were studied on a surface mine reforestation site in Pennsylvania. Eggs of A. anxius were common on boles of trees from mid-June through mid-August, in clusters of up to 14 eggs. Almost 70% of the eggs were in crevices in the dark triangular patch at branch origins. Larvae were present throughout the year. Fourth instars comprised 93.1% of the overwintering population.

Vertical distributions of eggs, larvae, and pupae along the bole were random relative to available surface area. Consequently, each stage was more abundant on the lower half than on the upper half of trees. Eggs and first instars were concentrated on the northeast, or shaded, side of trees. Second and third instars were distributed randomly around the bole. Fourth instars overwintered and pupated primarily on the southwest aspect.

Bacillus thuringiensis was applied at three dosages (1.0 BIU/tree, 0.1 BIU/tree, and.01 BIU/tree) to balsam fir, Abies balsamea (L.) Mill., and white spruce, Picea glauca (Moench) Voss, with mist blowers. Crystalline proteins were detected on balsam fir foliage for a maximum of 16 days (d) after B. thuringiensis was applied at 1.0 BIU/tree. Higher levels of crystalline proteins were detected on white spruce foliage treated with Thuricide 16B than on that treated with Dipel 4L. On balsam fir, the situation was the opposite. Mist-blower-treated foliage collected for up to 16 d posttreatment caused mortality of spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clemens), larvae. Viable endospores of B. thuringiensis were recovered on white spruce foliage collected 1 year after treatment.

The imported crucifer weevil, Baris lepidii Germar, was sampled in commercial horseradish fields by pitfall traps, visual counts, baits, soil cores, and square area removal. Adult counts from soil cores taken directly over the plant crown were closely related to those from 0.25 m2 samples centered around the whole plant. Numbers of adults determined by relative sampling techniques such as visual counts, pitfall traps, and baits were not closely related to the number of adults recovered in soil cores. All of the fields examined had adult weevils present at planting time as indicated by bait catches. No sampling method was an adequate predictor of the percentage of horseradish roots infested with B. lepidii at harvest.

The effects on carabids of natural, fescue, and rye sod types and of tillage were investigated in a pest management apple orchard. Carabids were sampled before and after the treatments by pitfall trapping and by two types of soil sampling. There were no significant effects of sod type on pitfall trap catches; however the abundance of all common species in soil samples was significantly affected by sod types. Usually in soil samples carabids were most abundant in natural sod and least abundant in tilled plots; numbers were intermediate in fescue and rye. Sod type did not affect structure or diversity of the carabid fauna.

Adults of four new species of Trisetacus are described from southern British Columbia, Canada: T. neoabietis from foliage of Amabilis fir, T. neopiceae from foliage of Engelmann and Sitka spruce, T. uclueletensis from foliage of Sitka spruce, and T. columbiensis from buds and foliage of Douglas-fir.

Forty-three species of Collembola were found, 37 of which were new records for the county.

The larva of Anaquedius vernix (LeConte) is a typical quediine larva but has many distinctive morphological characteristics: tibial comb on the whole length of front tibia, not only on the apical part as in other quediine larvae; tubular organ of the third segment of the maxillary palp at the apex of the segment rather than at the base; pygopod and anal diverticula elongated and well developed, a condition probably related to the almost aquatic life habits of the larva.

An insecticide, diflubenzuron, suppressed 3rd- and 4th-instar larvae of the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), with reduced effect on the tachinid parasite, Doryphorophaga doryphorae (Riley), developing within the larvae. Concentrations applied to potato foliage were 50, 100, 300, and 500 mg/L. In laboratory and greenhouse tests, parasite survival was not adversely affected when the 3rd instars were treated with 50 mg/L diflubenzuron but survival decreased to 0 and 4% at 300 and 500 mg/L. Survival and emergence of the parasite from treated 4th instars were not adversely affected at any concentration tested. Fourth-instar beetle larvae were much more tolerant of diflubenzuron than were the 3rd instars. Neither fertility nor the ability to parasitize beetle larvae was adversely affected in adult parasites emerging from treated 3rd or 4th instars. Adult beetles developing from treated larvae mated normally and laid fertile eggs. Foliage consumption by the beetle larvae decreased progressively as dosage of diflubenzuron increased but only slowly once the dosage increased beyond 100 mg/L.

The impact of an experimental aerial application of carbaryl (Sevin-4-oil®) on the macroinvertebrate fauna of woodland ponds was studied in northern Maine. Carbaryl was applied at the rate of 840 g A.I./ha, the same rate as was used for control of spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clemens), damage. Four treated ponds and three untreated ponds were observed for up to 30 months following treatment. Maximum residue levels of 254 μg/L were found in the water and 53,793 μg/kg (dry weight) in the sediment. Residues were detectable in the water 14 months and in the sediment 16 months after treatment.

The most severe and persistent impact was on the Amphipoda with Hyallela azteca (Saussure) and Crangonyx richmondensis Ellis reduced to near 0/m2 and failing to recolonize in some of the ponds 30 months after treatment. Numbers of immature Ephemeroptera and Trichoptera were reduced immediately following spray application but this impact did not persist throughout the season nor into the following year. Immediate reduction in numbers of adult Ephemeroptera and Trichoptera emerging from the ponds was also found. Numbers of immature Odonata were reduced following treatment and remained low during the following year. The Chironomidae did not appear affected either as immatures or emerging adults.

Trechus quadristriatus (Schrank), a Palaearctic species, is reported for the first time from North America. The species is briefly described and compared with T. obtusus Erichson. The key to Trechus of Canada by Lindroth (1961: 192–194) is modified to include T. quadristriatus.

Both sexes are described for the species pair of crab spiders, Xysticus durus (Soerensen) and X. keyserlingi Bryant. A recent collection of keyserlingi from the Alpine Garden, Mt. Washington, New Hampshire reveals that the male of X. leechi Turnbull et al. has been misidentified as that of durus, the male of durus has been confused with that of keyserlingi, and the name leechi must become a junior synonym of the name keyserlingi.

Abundance and seasonal distribution of adult Tabanidae were studied in Poste-de-la-Baleine (55°17′ N; 77°45′ W) and in Richmond Gulf (56°09′ N; 76°39′ W), two areas of the forest-tundra located along the eastern shore of Hudson Bay. Fourteen species were collected at Poste-de-la-Baleine (7 Chrysops and 7 Hybomitra) and eight species in the Richmond Gulf area (3 Chrysops and 7 Hybomitra). Chrysops nigripes, H. aequetincta, H. arpadi, H. astuta, H. lurida, and H. frontalis are Holarctic species. The dominant species at Poste-de-la-Baleine were H. lurida (29.5%), C. furcatus (22%), C. excitans (18%), H. hearlei (11.9%), and H. frontalis (11%). Two species were dominant in the Richmond Gulf area: H. frontalis (83.9%) and C. sordidus (12.2%). Hybomitra lurida was the earliest species, collected a few weeks before others. Results were compared with the few previous North American studies made in such northern localities.

A key to females is presented for six euphorine species that parasitize adults of crucifer-infesting flea beetles. Five of the species, Townesilitus psylliodis (Loan), Microctonus punctulatae sp. n., M. pusillae Muesebeck, M. vittatae Muesebeck, and M. zimmermanni sp. n., are Nearctic in distribution; the sixth, T. bicolor (Wesm.), was recently introduced into Manitoba from Europe. The two new species are described, and biological information is presented for T. bicolor, T. psylliodis, M. punctulatae, and M. vittatae.

Flight of the range caterpillar occurred predominantly at dusk in the grasslands of eastern New Mexico in 1979 and 1980. The restricted period of flight in the evening corresponded to cool temperatures which probably favored mating success. Changes in atmospheric temperature and pressure had little effect on the number of moths flying from day to day. Most females oviposited within 10 m of the site of pupal eclosion.

Cochylis arthuri Dang, new species, pest of wild sunflower, Helianthus sp., from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, is described and illustrated.